Egypt liveaboards, boat by boat.

Egypt undoubtedly offers some of the best value and choice for a dive liveaboard holiday. The varied dive sites of the Red Sea and choice of itineraries offer something for everyone. Reefs, wrecks and marine life are all exceptional and the conditions are suitable for the newly qualified diver or the seasoned veteran.

Planet Dive Holidays pride ourselves on offering the most comprehensive collection of luxury diving liveaboards in the Red Sea. So we'll have a holiday for you, whether you want to combine a dive liveaboard trip with land-based accommodation in Egypt, just want to pack as much diving as you can into a week or are considering combining your Red Sea diving holiday with a tour of the ancient wonders of Egypt. Take a look at our liveaboard departures or give us a call to learn more.

Liveaboards in Egypt are without a doubt the best way to maximise your experience in the Red Sea. A dive liveaboard holiday gives you the opportunity to enjoy additional time in the water and allows increased access to the more remote dive sites of the Red Sea. 

The added social benefit of a liveaboard is also a popular aspect to trips like this, as the shared dining facilities and close-knit nature of the luxury liveaboard boats ensure you’ll have plenty to talk about with like minded people sharing your passion for Red Sea diving. Discussing your pre-dive aims and post-dive findings over dinner or evening drinks can open up your experience to a new level while sharing the secluded secrets from below can improve your future dives.

With some of the world's most breathtaking underwater scenery, diving the Red Sea is a fantastic experience for divers of any level or experience. From wide-eyed novices through to seasoned technical pros; the sheer scale of what is readily available with an Egypt liveaboard quenches everyone's thirst for diving, wherever you decide to drop anchor.

The liveaboard itineraries in the Egyptian Red Sea can broadly be split into three areas; Northern Wreck and Reefs, Southern Marine Parks and Deep South. 

Northern Wreck and Reefs

The Northern Red Sea is, of course, the most popular region for Egyptian liveaboards, as the gentle diving conditions combined with the stunning visuals of overturned ships littering the seabed offer a perfect introduction for beginners and enthusiasts alike. This route offers huge numbers of these fascinating wrecks, virtually no minimum dive restrictions and great diversity in diving discovery, including magnificent night dives. The Northern Wrecks & Reefs itineraries provide some great value liveaboards, plus there are many flights from the UK to this region of the Red Sea. There are also shorter distances between dive sites enabling a 'looser schedule' and the possibility of more dives in the week. The north is perfect for novice divers, wreck lovers and photographers.

Southern Marine Parks

The Southern Marine Parks of Egypt offer a more challenging set of diving conditions for advanced divers and are definitely not for the novice. These areas are remote and provide an intriguingly diverse range of dive sites in much more isolated waters – free from the populations of novice divers and day boats from the mainland. The southern marine parks are comprised of The Brothers, Daedalus Reef, Zabargad and Rocky Islands. Although not a marine park, Elphinstone is often included with a marine park itinerary. These sites are underwater pinnacles far from land, so require longer boat journeys. In exchange, divers are given excellent opportunities to dive with various species of sharks (hammerheads, oceanic white tips, reef sharks, silky sharks, and thresher sharks). There are also a few wrecks to explore on these reefs. This area is for the more experienced diver and we recommend that you have had some experience in deep water, with the current and have done at least 50 dives.

Deep South

The Deep South itineraries take divers to the most remote dive sites of the southern Egyptian Red Sea, including St. Johns and Fury Shoals. These remote sites are some of the best for pelagics and it is very rare to run into other dive boats there. 

If you are in any way unsure of your suitability for an Egyptian Red Sea liveaboard itinerary please just call us for advice.

Do keep in mind that even if a particular itinerary is confirmed, travel in the Red Sea can involve some long sea passages crossings. Attempting these will be at the discretion of the skipper who will take into account the safety of passengers, crew and vessel, as well as your diving enjoyment.

Egypt Red Sea Liveaboard Frequently asked questions:  

Q: For a liveaboard in the Red Sea what should I bring with me?

For any liveaboard, we recommend that, in addition to your standard dive kit that you have a dive computer. We also recommend a surface marker bouy (SMB) particualrly on more remote sites, a torch, your certification card / logbook.

Q: Where is best Liveaboard itinerary for beginners?

The diving conditions in the Red Sea can vary from flat calm seas with excellent visibility to the much stronger currents found offshore. With more challenging conditions of The Southern Marine Parks and The Deep South, it is generally advised that the novice and beginner divers try the Sinai area and The Northern Wrecks and Reefs – as the shallow waters and gentle conditions are ideal.

Q: What wetsuit should I bring?

Due to the extended time in the water of a liveaboard, we recommend a 5mm shortie or 3mm long suit. With repetitive diving and strong thermoclines, temperatures can vary greatly.

Q: Can a non-diver go on a liveaboard holiday?

Non-divers and snorkellers are welcome on all liveaboards, however, there is very rarely any discount.

Which Egypt liveaboard route?

Which Red Sea liveaboard itinerary should I choose?

There are three broad choices. The northern wrecks and reefs are the most popular route in the Red Sea and suit less experienced divers: 16 major wrecks in the shipping lane including the Thistlegorm, the Rosalie Moller, the Giannis D, the Carnatic and the Dunraven, plus the walls and currents of Ras Mohammed. The Marine Parks, the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone, are for divers with 50 logged dives or more: isolated reefs way offshore, hammerheads schooling off the northern point of Daedalus, and white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks at Elphinstone. The Brothers are sometimes included in northern itineraries, so ask. The Deep South, from Marsa Alam down to the Sudan border, is the most remote of all, with Zabargad and Rocky Island for experienced divers who want the reefs to themselves.

When is the best time for a Red Sea liveaboard?

The northern wrecks and reefs dive well at any time of year. For the Marine Parks and the Deep South, April to October is the peak and the busiest period. Fewer southern itineraries run from November to January because the long crossings between sites get rougher, but they do still run. Water temperature is 22 to 30 degrees across the year and visibility 20 metres to well over 40.